1) Field of the Invention
The subject matter of this invention is concerned with an optical inspection device and specifically a microscope to be used for surface inspection of a terminus of a fiberoptic cable within a fiberoptic connector.
2) Description of the Prior Art
Fiberoptic cables are being used in greater frequency within the telecommunication industry. Fiberoptic cables take the form of an elongated glass core which is clad with an outer layer of material which comprises a light guiding and protective covering for the core. Not only is light usable within the optical fiber as a means of illumination, but the light being transmitted along an optical fiber is equivalent to an electrical signal passing down a wire. One of the advantages of an optical fiber is that it has a much greater information carrying capacity than an electrical wire.
Optical fibers normally cannot be in one continuous length in an installation. Different lengths of the fibers inherently have to be connected together when extending from point A to point B as this may amount to many miles. This connecting of the optical fibers is achieved by means of cable connectors or splices. It is the purpose of the cable connector to locate one terminus of an optical fiber directly adjacent a terminus of a second optical fiber in an in-line connecting arrangement with the light that is being conducted through one optical fiber to pass through into the second optical fiber with very low loss occurring. These optical fibers are quite small in diameter with generally an optical fiber being no more than a few thousandths in diameter. If a terminus of an optical fiber becomes scratched or dirty, the light transmission from the first cable to the second cable can be diminished substantially and become inoperative. Because of the diameter being so small, it only takes a minuscule spec of dust to destroy the effectiveness of the light transmission qualities of the connector. It is common that during the performing of maintenance on fiberoptic cables that the connectors are disconnected and prior to being reinstalled that a microscope is used to inspect the termini of the optical fibers to determine if such are adequately clean and polished for the transmission of light. Dirty ends can then be cleaned and if the ends are scratched, the connector is usually replaced.
There are a wide variety of different types of connectors for fiberoptic cables. There are connectors for single cables, and the connectors for single cables are constructed of various sizes. There are also connectors that have two in number of optical fibers. There are also connectors that have three, four, five thirty plus or other plurality in number of optical fibers. In the past, inspection microscopes have been designed to be usable with only a few different types of cable connectors. However, prior to the present invention, it has not been known to utilize an inspection microscope in conjunction with a wide range of different types of fiberoptic connectors. The adapter system may also include a LED indicator to inform the user exactly which fiberoptic end face is being inspected. This is especially helpful when using a connector that has an array of optical fibers.
An adapter system which is designed in conjunction with an inspection microscope which facilitates inspection of the individual end faces of a fiberoptic connector, or an array, whether single channel or multi-channel. The adapter system includes a plurality of different adapters with each adapter being designed to be usable in conjunction with a particular type of cable connector. Each adapter of the adapter system is to be affixed in conjunction with a microscope in a particular position so as to utilize X-Y positioning within the microscope to center the image of the end of the optical fiber to achieve the visualization of such. Some adapters of the adapter system utilize a combination of X-Y and rotational positioning designed for a particular connector. Sliding or rotating of an adapter of the adapter system is to occur until the adapter becomes located in the desired position so as to expose the selected terminus face of the optical fiber for visual inspection. The adapter system of the present invention is constructed to include six different types of adapters which are to be connectable with most types of fiberoptic cable connectors so a single inspection microscope can be utilized with most types of fiberoptic cable connectors.
One of the objectives of the present invention is to construct an adapter which can permit an inspection microscope to be utilized with a series of different types of fiberoptic cable connectors.